Top 7 Business Schools in the United States: Which Do You Want to Attend?

Other than the vast opportunities that business school in the United states provides, such as internships and jobs in New York, Boston, Chicago, Silicon Valley, Washington D.C. and more, Universities in the United States offer their students an education on par with  best in the world as well as the highest likelihood of success after graduate school. According to Business Insider, 8 out of the top 10 MBA graduate programs are located in the United States. Furthermore, according to MBA50, 7 of the top 10 business schools are also located in the United States. So, if you are motivated to invest in your future, here are the top 7 business schools in the United States.

1. Harvard Business School

If you are an international student who has high grades and is eager to achieve a prestigious education in the worlds most renowned university, then Harvard is the school for you. For the class of 2017, Harvard Business School only accepted 11% of the 9686 students who applied. Of the 948 students who enrolled, 34% were international students, and 28% were ethnic minorities. Harvard does not sponsor a quota for the applicants they accept, and they accept their students solely based on their achievements as individuals. The most popular employment fields for students who receive an MBA from Harvard are in finance and management consulting.

Facts:

• The average age of students accepted into Harvard’s MBA Class of 2017 program is 27.
• There are 64 represented countries in the class of 2017.
• Average Undergraduate GPA: 3.67.
• GMAT scores of accepted students range from 510-790. The Median GMAT score was 730.

Notable Alumni:

• Michael Bloomberg (Former Mayor of New York)
• George W. Bush (Former President of the United States)
• Tyra Banks (Founder of America’s Next Top Model TV Show)
• Mitt Romney (Republican Candidate for U.S. 2012 Election; Governor of Massachusetts)
• Michael Lynton (CEO of Sony Entertainment Inc.) - International Student

Check out our Admissions Predictor tool to see your chances of getting into Harvard! (Please edit your information for accurate results)

2. Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB)

Similarly to Harvard, Stanford University admits individuals based upon their merit and the potential they believe the individual can attain in their program. For the class of 2016, only 5.6% of the 7355 applicants were accepted, and of the 410 admitted applicants, 44% were international students. Stanford is a university that promotes diversity, for class of 2016, “the number of international students and the number of countries they originate from reached an all-time high” (Stanford GSB).  A large pool of the students who study at Stanford tend to find careers in finance, technology and management consulting. If you are an international student looking for an amazing business education, Stanford is a school you should highly consider.

Facts:

• Average years of work experience for admitted applicants: 4 years.
• GMAT scores of accepted students range from 550 - 790. The average GMAT score was 732.
• There are 62 represented countries in the class of 2016.

Notable Alumni:

• John F. Kennedy (Former President of the United States)
• Joe Coulombe (Founder of Trader Joe’s)
• Charles Schwab (Founder of American Brokerage Company, Charles Schwab Corp.)
• Mukesh Ambani (Chairman of India’s second most valuable company, Reliance Industries Limited) - International Student

Check out our Admissions Predictor tool to see your chances of getting into Stanford! (Please edit your information for accurate results)

3. University of Pennsylvania: Wharton

UPenn’s Wharton School of Business MBA program is one of the most sought after graduate degrees in the business world due to its prestige. Wharton’s acceptance rate is nearly 14%. For the class of 2016, Wharton admitted 859 out of 6111 applicants. From this pool of students, 31% were international students who represent over 71 countries. A majority of the students who attend Wharton tend to find careers in consulting, financial services and technology. Wharton offers its students with a diverse academic experience as well as a reputable MBA degree which places its students on  track towards a successful future.

Facts:

• Work Experience (average): 5 years.
• GMAT scores of students range from 620-780. The average GMAT score was 728.
• Undergraduate Majors of Students: 23% STEM, 45% Humanities or Social Sciences, 27% Business, 5% Other.

Notable Alumni:

• Warren Buffett - attended as undergraduate student (Most successful investor of 20th century; worth over $68 billion)
• Donald Trump (Chairman and President of The Trump Organization)
• Elon Musk (Founder of Paypal and Tesla Motors)
• Anil Ambani (Indian Business magnate who is also the chairman of Reliance Group; worth over $6.3 billion) - International Student

Check out our Admissions Predictor tool to see your chances of getting into Wharton! (Please edit your information for accurate results)

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): Sloan School of Management

Although MIT is recognized as one of the best Tech institutes in the world, its business school is also amongst the most prestigious in the world. Sloan generally admits students who demonstrate their creativity, intellectual curiosity, and leadership skills through their past experiences. They accept students based on their skills rather than only their academic scores, and nearly 40% of their enrolled applicants are international students.  A large pool of the students who study at Sloan tend to find careers in consulting, software or finance. If you would like to be in a community that promotes technological innovation and business, then MIT Sloan may be the right place for you.

Facts:

• Work Experience (average): 5 years.
• Class Distribution: 61% Male, 39% Female.
• Average Undergraduate GPA: 3.60.
• GMAT scores of students range from 660-760. The average GMAT score was 713.
• Undergraduate Majors of Students: 31% Engineering, 19% Business, 50% amongst Humanities, Social Sciences, Math, Economics, and Other.

Notable Alumni:

• William Clay Ford (Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company)
• Benjamin Netanyahu (Prime Minister of Israel) - International Student
• William A. Porter (Founder of E-Trade)

Check out our Admissions Predictor tool to see your chances of getting into MIT Sloan! (Please edit your information for accurate results)

5. Columbia Business School

Located in the city that never sleeps, “Columbia Business School looks for intellectually driven people from diverse educational, economic, social, cultural, and geographic backgrounds” (Columbia website). Of the 5799 applicants in 2014, 18.2% were admitted and over 41% of the 1056 applicants were international students. Most students who attend Columbia Business School pursue careers in finance, consulting, media and technology. If you want to study in one of the most diverse and driven cities in the world, then Columbia is the school for you.

Facts:

• GMAT scores of students range from 680-760. The average GMAT score was 716.
• Work Experience (average): 5 years.
• Average Undergraduate GPA: 3.50.
• Undergraduate Majors of Students: 38% Social Science, 28% Business, 17% Engineering, 8% Humanities, 9% Other. 

Notable Alumni:

• Henry Kravis (Co-founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., a private equity firm with over $62 billion in assets)
• Warren Buffett (Most successful investor of 20th century; worth over $68 billion)
• Vikram Pandit (Former Chief Executive of Citigroup) - International Student

Check out our Admissions Predictor tool to see your chances of getting into Columbia! (Please edit your information for accurate results)

6. University of Chicago: Booth

“If you excel in environments where you take the lead in solving problems - by challenging conventional wisdom, generating new insights, and uncovering compelling evidence - then Booth is the place for you” (Booth website). Much like other top universities, Booth encourages its prospective students to take initiative and develop leadership skills throughout their early 20’s. Booth’s initiative is to teach its students in a way that will allow them to shape the world of business throughout their future careers. Booth has not disclosed the number of applicants they received in 2014, but their acceptance rate was 21% and 36% of their accepted applicants are international students. A large pool of the students who study at Booth tend to find careers in finance, consulting, marketing and management. If you want a business education (in one of the coldest cities in the United States) that promises to be unique, then you should consider Booth.

Facts:

• Average GMAT score of accepted students: 724.
• Average Undergraduate GPA: 3.59.
• Work Experience (average): 4.5 years.
• Over 55 countries represented for the Class of 2016.

Notable Alumni:

• Archie R. Boe (Former Chairman and CEO of Allstate Corp.)
• Jon Winkelried (Former Co-President of Goldman Sachs)
• Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft) - International Student

Check out our Admissions Predictor tool to see your chances of getting into Chicago Booth! (Please edit your information for accurate results)

7. Northwestern: Kellogg School of Management

Kellogg is a schools that values “exceptional men and women, team players and hardworking leaders…[who] come from different states, nations, ethnic backgrounds, industries and fields of study” (Kellogg website). Kellogg offers its students with an MBA program that promises to help students forge their ideal future and career paths. For the class of 2014, Kellogg admitted 22% of its applicants for a total of 483 enrolled students; 36% of these accepted applicants were international students. Most of the MBA students who graduate from Kellogg find careers in management consulting, financial services or consumer products. If you are looking for a school that will help you develop leadership skills and personal growth, then Kellogg may be the school for you.

Facts:

• Work Experience: 2 years - 12.5 years.
• Average GMAT score of accepted students: 717.
• The average age of students accepted into Kellogg’s MBA Class of 2016 program is 28.

Notable Alumni:

• Brad Blum (CEO of Burger King)
• Gregg Steinhafel (President, CEO, and Chairman of Target Corp.)
• Steve Hafner (Founder of kayak.com)
• Roshni Nadar (Executive Director and CEO of HCL Corp.) - International Student

Check out our Admissions Predictor tool to see your chances of getting into Northwestern! (Please edit your information for accurate results)

Please keep in mind that the MBA programs mentioned in this blog are amongst the best in the world. The admissions process for these universities are extremely competitive, but with good scores and hard work, enrollment is possible. Listed below are some more MBA program’s that are slightly less competitive but still very reputable.

Other Notable Universities for MBA Degrees:

UC Berkley: Haas School of Business

Duke: The Fuqua School of Business

New York University: Stern School of Business

Cornell University: Johnson Graduate School of Management

Dartmouth: Tuck School of Business

Yale University: School of Management

University of Michigan: Ross School of Business

UCLA: Anderson School of Management

Please use our Admissions Predictor Tool, for free! https://www.gradtrain.com/Predictor

Below are some tips and tricks you should use to help you choose your study abroad program.

Where Should You Study Abroad?

http://blog.gradtrain.com/2014/12/where-should-you-study-abroad-take-quiz.html

Studying Abroad: Professional Advantages

http://blog.gradtrain.com/2014/09/studying-aroad-professional-advantages.html

How To Find and Choose Your Perfect Study Abroad Program

http://blog.gradtrain.com/2014/03/how-to-find-and-choose-right-study.html

If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or send us a message and we will respond as soon as possible!

The information posted in this blog is for two-year MBA programs only; some of these universities offer accelerated one-year programs but the statistics are not disclosed.

Please note that all the universities listed above offer loan and scholarship programs for international students. No Co-signer is needed in most cases, and each student is evaluated based upon his/her specific needs.

Sources:

Rankings Information:

BusinessInsider

http://www.businessinsider.com/top-25-business-schools-in-the-world-2014-7

Forbes

http://www.forbes.com/business-schools/list/

MBA50

http://www.mba50.com/the-ft-full-time-mba-ranking-2014-winners-and-losers/

Business School Rankings

http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-ranking-2015

USNews

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/mba-rankings?int=9dc208

University Class Profiles for 2014 or 2015

Harvard Class Profile

http://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/class-profile/Pages/default.aspx

Stanford Class Profile

https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/admission/evaluation-criteria/class-profile

University of Pennsylvania Class Profile

http://mba.wharton.upenn.edu/admissions/class-profile/

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Sloan School of Management Class Profile

http://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/admissions/class-profile2/

Columbia Business School

https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/programs-admissions/mba/admissions/class-profile

University of Chicago: Booth

http://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/full-time#simple2

Northwestern: Kellogg School of Management

http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/programs/full-time-mba/admissions/class-profile.aspx